Like Lupe and Joe, thousands of families in the Bay Area lose loved ones from the IND attack.
Over 100,000 people, including Kathleen Martinez, die within a few days of the explosion. The final death toll, including people like Benny Martinez who die weeks or months later from injuries or illness caused by the attack, is
nearly 150,000. The cost of property and infrastructure damage approaches $1 trillion. Even with a massive program of decontamination, it will be three years before radioactivity in downtown San Francisco falls to safe levels. The economic effects plunge the world economy into recession, as major financial firms and insurance companies go bankrupt due to the losses they suffer from the terrorist strike.
With help from all over the United States and many other countries, the people of San Francisco eventually rebuild their broken city. But it will never be the same. In addition to the unprecedented human suffering caused by nuclear terrorism, the city has suffered tremendous environmental harm, and economic damage from which it will never recover.